Gas evolving materials are widely used for producing arc extinguishing blasts. Thus U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,342 to Frederick J. Kozacka, Apr. 6, 1976, ELECTRIC FUSE FOR ELEVATED CIRCUIT VOLTAGES, describes the use of beads producing opposite pairs of arc-extinguishing blasts. The beads are, however, relatively expensive to manufacture and do not lend themselves well to applications in connection with relatively wide ribbon-type links as distinguished from relatively narrow wire-type fusible elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,509 to Frank L. Cameron, HIGH VOLTAGE CURRENT LIMITING FUSE, Oct 16, 1973 gives a brief history of prior art devices capable of producing arc-quenching blasts, and claims one specific device supposed to be better than the prior art devices. But this device is also relatively expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,553 to Frederick J. Kozacka et al, Jan. 27, 1976 for CARTRIDGE FUSE FOR D.C. CIRCUITS discloses a gas-evolving structure limited to time-lag fuses having wide ribbon links.
The present invention relates to electric fuses having a gas-evolving substance which fuses are not subject to the limitations of prior art fuses of that description.